The Impostor
by Canon31
Summary: Hi guys! This is my first book on here so hope you enjoy! The Impostor. Robin Hood is the best shot in all the land, or so he thought. Mysteriously, a person, claiming to be robin, has turned up in HIS forest. Not only do the people love the fraud, but his skill with a bow an arrow is flawless, to good to be true. Will Robin find this impostor? Or will his reputaion be ruined?
1. Chapter 1

The Impostor – Chapter 1

He pulled his bow taut; the smooth wood was soothing beneath his fingers. His position in a small sickly tree was not the best he could have chosen but it would have to do, as time was running out. The woman was still screaming, as the three guards in black pillaged her shop. Pots were being smashed; tables were being upturned, whilst the last guard held her tightly by the throat. She was not a meek woman, as Robin knew, for when he was younger, she used to sneak him the odd apple from her cloak when her husband was not looking. Shaking the pleasant memories out of his head, he found his target again; one wrong shot and she would be a dead corpse. But he had something on his side that no one else had – HE was Robin Hood.

Breathing in he prepared to release his arrow, the string almost touching his lips. Suddenly, the guard holding the distraught women fell to the ground with a painful shriek, an arrow lodged in his leg. Another two arrows came flying out from no where, both striking the other guards. Whoever shot them must have a very steady hand, Robin thought to himself. By now, a crowd had gathered, all eyes were on the trees, searching for the mysterious person who had saved the poor woman. A figure emerged from the trees, cloaked in a green cape which swirled around him as he confidently strode out into the open. A hood covered his face. But in his hand was a bow unlike any Robin had ever seen. It was silver in colour, beautiful and soft. The craftsmanship was flawless, not an imperfection to be seen. It looked as if it was made of metal, but a pure metal, not like any of the rusty bows the palace guards had. As if the figure knew what everyone was thinking, he raised his bow in his right arm and with a secure voice, he shouted "I am Robin Hood, protector of this land!" Although the crowd could not see his face, a ripple of applause had started and everyone was cheering, congratulating him on his success. However, before anyone could reach and pat him on the back, he disappeared, back into the green and shelter of the trees.

Robin could not believe his ears. An imposter! How dare this man call himself the famous Hood, all because of his brilliant shot! Well, I could have done better, He thought. Clenching his fists tightly, he climbed down from his tree and slung his bow over his back. He WOULD find this fraud, and send him of else where, for this was his forest, his people, and nobody could take that away from him…


	2. Chapter 2

Dappled sunlight shone through the trees of Sherwood Forest and a small wind rustled the dead leaves which had fallen to the floor. The breeze ruffled Lira's light hair; John said it was the colour of the great oak tree which Robin's gang lived in. She smiled at the thought of them. Robin, of course, was the leader, not only because of his amazing skill with a bow, but due to his courage and leadership. John Little was the joker of the pack. Weighing up to 11stone, he sure could do some damage! Despite all of this, he was the humblest guy you could meet and had an unfairly good opinion of life. William Scarlet was the caring one and could make conversation with anyone, without being suspicious. He was fairly tall and athletic, bearing great talent in handling a sword. And then there was Marian. Lady Marian. Now she was the most stuck up girl you could ever meet. She had a place in the fortress and was our spy, if you like. If it wasn't for the fact that she could provide us with valuable information, she would be long gone by now, thought Lira. She was beautiful with soft blonde hair and bright blue eyes; every girl in Nottingham longed for her looks. In spite of her perfect face and body, she was stuck up. Vain. She couldn't even hold a sword if she tried! But Robin loved her, she breathed.

Interrupting her thoughts, a shout came from the branches of the great oak. "OI! Lira! Help me, would ya? This Axe is," will grunted, "fairly heavy!" Lira sighed and got up from the steaming food that she was cooking and prepared to climb the tree. The great oak had to be the biggest tree in all of Nottingham and it grew right in the heart of Sherwood. It was so big that Robin's gang lived in it; the branches so broad that a full grown man (even John!) could sleep on one. As Lira climbed the well-known route up the tree, she began to wonder when Robin was ever going to get back from the market. He never shows his face to anyone, as he believes that if the people knew who he was, the Sherriff might do anything to find out his identity. People did know who he was when he was younger, but when he went away to fight for the king, he changed so much that nobody recognized him. As she reached the branch where Will was, she smiled at his face. He was straining and his muscles were tense, gripping hard on John's axe. His black tousled hair was swept across his face and his hazel eyes were hard. He was very handsome, but not Lira's type. She held onto the axe and took a bit of the weight and immediately, Will's face softened. "Thanks, but seriously, how does he even lift this thing!?" Lira giggled and shrugged. "So," she said, "Where is John?"

"He left about half an hour ago to get some wood, I think."

"Any chance to show of his strength!" He laughed and together they lifted the axe easily onto a thick branch which John slept on. They both climbed down the tree and walked over to where Lira's food was burning. "Aw! Now look what your lack of strength has done to my stew!" she half yelled, hitting him playfully on the arm. Suddenly a twig cracked. Lira and Will both stiffened; turning to face the forest, their eyes scanned every nook and cranny. Another crack. Suddenly, two massive arms encircled the two of them and squeezed hard!

"Why hello there, my friends, I see you are watching out for me!" a strong, deep voice chuckled.

"John! Let go of me! This instant!" Lira struggled and twisted, "I mean it!"

Laughing again, John Little dropped them both and grinned at them. Lira turned with an angry look on her face. A strong, broad man stood in front of her; dark brown hair was windswept across his face and his eyes sparkled with mischief. Will was also laughing heartily at Lira's annoyed face when abruptly, an irritated voice sounded throughout the camp.

"We have a problem."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Weaving gracefully through the trees, the man kept his head down. He did not want to be seen, not when he was so close to his goal. The sky turned into black velvet, with shining sequins sewn onto it, for the whole world to admire. Only the sound of the wind massaging the leaves could be heard. The forest was quiet, deathly quiet. Dry leaves crackled under his feet, so he trod carefully, not wanting to disturb any nocturnal animals, or people, for that matter. Suddenly, there it was. In a small clearing, amongst the trees was an undersized cliff. It was big enough so that you could not see the other side, but small in that if you jumped of it, you would not be hurt. However, it was not the rock which interested the man. In the side of it was a cave, just big enough for a grown man to stand up in. Strands of ivy were covering the entrance therefore it was impossible to see, unless you were looking for it. The man quickly glanced around him, before slipping into the cave. He pulled of his green cloak from his shoulders and left it on the floor; he took his bow and arrow and placed it on a rock. He sighed, looking at the gleaming silver. He had a busy day, the common townspeople fell for his trick, as no one has ever seen the real Robin Hood before. Something about loyalty. All of that stuff made him sick, honor and such. He had learnt long ago that honor could get you killed, quicker than a blade. He had no family, his parents died in a fire when he was young. All that was left of his childhood was his sister, but she had gone missing the night of the fire. He smiled at the thought of her quick temper, yet kind heart.

A crack of leaves alerted him. Within seconds, he had picked up his bow and arrow, aiming it straight for the entrance, ready to let it fly at a moments notice. But alas, in walked a little man, his beady eyes wide at the sight of an armed bow. "Wait!" he cried, "don't shoot! I bring a message!" The man raised his eyebrow and lowered his bow.

"Speak," he commanded.

The meek man obeyed, uttering just one word. "Deceit." Then as quickly as he came, he stumbled out of the cave, enjoying the look of terror on the man's face as he dropped his bow.

Sweat trickled down his forehead as he watched the man disappear into the forest. How did they know!? In fact, more importantly, who knew… This and other questions ran through his head as he drifted off into a deep sleep, hidden away from the world.

The beady little man swept through the forest, dodging and weaving through the ominous trees. The sooner he got back to his Master, the sooner he could go home. The night air was cold and he pulled his cloak around him and shivered, but not because of the cold. That man with the bow scared him. He was not getting paid enough! If his tasks set by his Master involved death, he should at least be given a raise. What use is money if you are dead? Yet the Master's word was final, get it wrong, and your children were forfeit. He shuddered at the memory of what happened to a close friend who disobeyed the Master. One click of his fingers and his dear wife lost her life, killed brutally in front of her pleading husband. He was lucky; at least she was one of those who died quickly…


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter ~ 4

The fire spread quickly. Soon, the whole barn was alight; glowing flames, curling and licking the wooden beams. A loud hiss sounded as the fire set ablaze the stack of hay, and in seconds, it was like bonfire night early. Before long, people from neighboring villages had come to help, grabbing buckets full of water, trying desperately to prevent the devil from claiming the farmer's barn. Yet, their attempt was in vain, the flickering orange burned wild and untamed. The farmer and his wife stood a distance from the blaze, looking on. Slowly, the villagers, one by one, walked and stood with them, patting them on the back and giving them their condolences, reminding each other of the happy times when they used to play in the barn as children. A terrified scream cut the air.

"Where did that come from?"

"Who was it?"

But then, fingers began pointing at the window of the burning barn. A sooty figure, a child, was waving and coughing frantically. Her wide eyes burned with fear and her once-brown hair was plastered to their face. You could see the flames, wavering behind her, like a group of wolves going in for the kill.

The gang ran like they had never run before. They had just been alerted of a barn, near the forest, which had caught fire. A young girl was trapped inside and had no chance of escape. Their breathing was the only sound which passed between them; Robin, John, Will and Lira dodged trees, jumped over bracken and passed small brooks. Each with weapons in hand, they reached the edge of the forest. Even from that distance, they could see the black pillar of smoke rising from one of the fields. By now, they were all dreadfully out of breath, however, with a grunt, Robin carried on, and the rest had no choice but to follow him. The flames became closer and closer, Lira thought she could see a figure in the flames. That must be the girl, she thought. But no, wait, another figure appeared, much taller than the first. Looking over at Robin, Lira saw his eyes directly fixed on both figures, fists clenched whilst running. As they reached the barn, they saw a massive crowd below the fiery window, cheering at the man. Robin and the others joined the crowd, looking up for any sign of life. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. Flames licked and devoured the rest of the building. Abruptly, part of the building fell down in a mass of sparks and embers. "GET BACK!" Robin screamed and pushed the crowd back, just as another bit of wood groaned its way to the floor, like an old man dying. A woman in the crowd fell to her knees, sobbing, in seconds her blond hair was wet with tears.


End file.
